


Hunger

by thesometimeswarrior



Series: Two Hundred Words for Two Hundred Fics! A Celebratory Fic Prompt-Fest! [20]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, Double Drabble, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Ozai (Avatar) Being a Terrible Parent, Post-Episode: s02e04 The Swamp, Poverty, Uncle-Nephew Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-24 09:01:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30069855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thesometimeswarrior/pseuds/thesometimeswarrior
Summary: Iroh has known hunger. But never, he thinks—counting Zuko’s ribs as the boy returns with a basket of no-doubt-stolen food—this young.
Relationships: Iroh & Zuko (Avatar), Ozai & Zuko (Avatar)
Series: Two Hundred Words for Two Hundred Fics! A Celebratory Fic Prompt-Fest! [20]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1567093
Comments: 4
Kudos: 76





	Hunger

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Monochromely](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Monochromely/gifts).



> **Prompt: Iroh contemplates the differences between his own adolescence and Zuko’s**
> 
> \--
> 
> I sort of took this in a particular direction! Hope that's okay! :P
> 
> Takes place early in Book 2.

Hunger, Iroh has known: the pangs in his stomach those first weeks in the military as a young man, suddenly away from the Palace’s lavish banquets and subsisting on meager rations; as a more seasoned officer refusing to eat before his men; those long months after abandoning the Siege, wandering dazed among the Earth Kingdom wilderness, willfully forgetting to feed himself and apathetic to try.

Yes, Iroh has known hunger. But never, he thinks—counting Zuko’s ribs as the boy returns with a basket of no-doubt-stolen food—this young.

“Just _eat_ , Uncle!” Zuko thrusts a stale bun into his hands, defensive, already anticipating a lecture.

But it doesn’t come. It would be pointless, now, when Zuko’s eyes burn with an indignant fire to cover his fear and unearned shame.

And Zuko too has known hunger, one that's never pricked Iroh's guts. It’s gnawed away at his insides, even as servants would present him with a thousand delicacies on golden platters: Ozai would scoff, or turn away, or glare, and the hole would grow...

So until Iroh can find the words to sustain his nephew, he’ll serve no rebuke. Instead, he simply replies: “You need to eat as well, Prince Zuko.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed! I love comments!
> 
> \--
> 
> This is part of a series of double drabbles I'm writing to celebrate having written 200 fics on ao3!
> 
> I'm accepting prompts in the following fandoms:
> 
> 1) Steven Universe  
> 2) Avatar: The Last Airbender  
> 3) Gravity Falls  
> 4) Tanakh or Talmud


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